Will Super Bowl commercials put up good scores this year -- or will they be dunked on?
Longtime analysis shows that for many brands it can be -- at best -- a wash, and that engagement and return-on-investment data is barely on par with what many brands do at other times of the year.
Part of this might come from just initial Super Bowl expectations --- featuring celebrity and comedy-focus creatives that hit out for a short-term wow factor.
Many brands, according to much analysis and research, rarely deliver long-term brand loyalty or effectiveness.
For last year's Super Bowl, Advertising Benchmark Index, an advertising and consumer insight company, says average ad effectiveness score for all Super Bowl 2024 ads -- 63 in-game commercials -- hit a sub-par 97 index. That is below the 100 ABX Index for in-game ads, adding that 48% of these individual ads performed below that norm.
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ABX provided Bottom-Line Analytics ad effectiveness scores for all Super Bowls over the past 11 years. Recent results showed that among other issues -- including the very high 30-second price tag $7 million price tag -- Super Bowl TV shows were less likely to motivate viewers to buy products and that they were unlikely to generate a positive ROI.
Still some results show good news -- albeit for a small number of ads, with 4 of 15 in one example.
Analysis shows these four ads were "profitable" -- brands with higher sales revenues and higher creative index scores. Sales results were focused over a two-week period average.
So at best are these fuzzy results?
It seems a significant number of consumers -- we don’t know how many exactly -- are already prepped to consume entertaining Super Bowl advertising with the expectation of seeing something very different from whatever non-Super Bowl video advertising they take in through the year.
The good news is that new Super Bowl creative will seemingly always grab some high initial attention. But after that? Online or perhaps in the real shopping world? Hmmm...
TV Watch asks itself a key question, with regard to one Super Bowl commercial a year ago: Did we buy more sweet fried dough pastry over the past year?
Entertainment value alone for brands isn’t enough even if Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, as faux rap artists -- “The Dunkings” -- crashed in on Jennifer Lopez’ Bronx music recording session.
Wait... was that for Dunkin’ Donuts?